From the wild north coast to the sandy heaths of Breckland, the Norfolk Broads to ancient woodlands, Norfolk’s diverse habitats are home to a stunning variety of wildlife. Joining us today makes a real difference to Norfolk. Your support helps us protect the future of that wildlife and helps us inspire people to value nature.

Freshwater grazing marsh

The flooded grasslands of Norfolk are broadly all the product of ancient deforestation followed by centuries of grazing by cattle and to a lesser extent other livestock. The exception is the wet grazing marsh of the North Norfolk coast which is the product of saltmarsh being reclaimed by the building of embankments to prevent incursion by seawater.

Both the river valley grazing marshes of Broadland and the Fens and the reclaimed coastal marshes are maintained by seasonal grazing, principally by cattle. They are less floristically diverse than fen habitat but are nonetheless home to rare plants and invertebrates. They are an important nesting habitat for birds such as lapwing, redshank and snipe and winter habitat for tens of thousands of wigeon, migrant geese including pink-footed and brent geese and both Bewick’s and whooper swans. They are the hunting ground of marsh harriers and, during winter, merlins, peregrines, hen harriers and rough-legged buzzards. The ditches which have historically been used to drain them are important for scarce wetland plants and commonly provide a home to water voles, otters, kingfishers and little grebes.